On the front page of wikipedia today you may have noticed a small item about WRNY, “an AM radio station … started by Hugo Gernsbacks Experimenter Publishing Company to promote his radio and science magazines”.

These magazines started up over a hundred years ago in April 1908 with the first edition of Modern Electrics, which later became Modern Electrics and Mechanics. Gernsbacks continued with The Electrical Experimenter in 1913, which became Science and Invention in 1920.

“Not only did this fill America’s proto-geeks with dreams of wireless and electrical power machinery, it published Gernsback’s hard-SF novel Ralph 124C 41 + and arguably foreshadowed the entire genre of technically oriented science fiction,” says the Magazine Art website.

Ok, we’ve missed the anniversary in April but this was too good not to bring to your attention: the Magazine Art website has a complete cover gallery of these magazines. If you have any time on your hands have a browse and see how the future looked back in the last century.

Cover gallery for Modern Electrics on MagazineArt.com

Cover gallery for Electrical Experimenter on MagazineArt.com

Image: January 1920 issue of Electrical Experimenter from MagazineArt.com